Conducting the:First Meeting The goal of the first meeting is to come to a common understanding of the group’s task and to define the group’s working procedures and relationships.
Task forces must rely on the general norms of the organization to function. The task force leader should legitimize the representative nature of participation on the task force and encourage members to discuss the task force’s process with the other members of the organization.
During the first meeting, a standard of total participation should be well established. The leader should remain as neutral as possible and should prevent premature decision making. Working procedures and relationships among the various members, subgroups, and the rest of the organization need to be established. The frequency and nature of full task force meetings and the number of subgroups must be determined. Ground rules for communicating must be estab- lished, along with norms for decision making and conflict resolution.
Managing Subsequent Meetings and Subgroups In running a task force, especially when several subgroups are formed, the leader should hold full task force meetings often enough to keep all members informed of the group’s progress. Unless a task force is small, subgroups are essential. The leader must not be aligned too closely with one position or subgroup. A work plan should be developed that includes realistic interim project deadlines. The task force and subgroups should be held to these deadlines. The leader plays a key role in coaching subgroups and the task force to meet its deadlines.
The leader must also be sensitive to the conflicting loyalties sometimes created by belong- ing to a task force. One of the leader’s most important roles is to communicate information to both task force members and the rest of the organization in a timely and regular fashion. The leader should solicit feedback from other key organizational representatives during the course of the task force’s work.
Completing the Task Force’s Report In bringing a project to completion, the task force should prepare a written report for the com- missioning administrators that summarizes the findings and recommendations. Drafts of this report should be shared with the full task force prior to presentation. To identify any overlooked or sensitive information and reduce defensive reactions, it is especially important that the task force leader personally brief key administrators prior to presenting the report. This gives admin- istrators a chance to read and respond to the report before making recommendations. The leader should consider involving a few task force members in the administrative presentation.
Patient Care Conferences Patient-related conferences are held to address the needs of individual patients or patient popula- tions. The purpose of the conference determines the composition of the group. Patient-focused meetings are usually interprofessional and used for case management to discuss specific patient